1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates to side shields for eyeglasses and more particularly relates to an improved side shield adapted to slip on temple regions of eyeglass earbows for blocking peripheral light and wind, and to a method of making the improved side shields.
The eyes of many individuals are sensitive to light and to wind. Exposure to bright light, particularly in the ultraviolet region of the spectrum, is known to cause eye damage and long term repeated exposure is believed to contribute to the formation of cataracts in older individuals. Additionally, wind exposure tends to dry the natural lubricating tears, causing irritation. Wind born irritants such as dust and pollen affect some individuals with severity, including particularly contact lens wearers.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Conventional sunglasses alleviate the aforementioned problems to some degree. However, such conventional sunglasses still expose the eyes of a wearer to peripheral light and wind entering from adjacent the temple region of the glasses. In order to overcome this problem, the prior art has proposed the use of so-called side shields comprising small generally triangular members adapted for attachment to the temple regions of the earbows of the eyeglasses. When installed in pairs on each earbow of a pair of eyeglasses, the prior art side shields substantially block peripheral light and wind from the eyes of a user. One type of conventional side shield includes a slotted portion for slip-on securement to the temple regions of earbows of the eyeglasses. Another prior art type of side shield for eyeglasses includes a fastening clip for securing the shield to the glasses.
The field of eyeglasses generally, and particularly the field of side shields is relatively crowded, and various prior art side shields are disclosed in several U.S. patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 730,192 to G. Morritz discloses an eyeglass side shield which is made up of laminations of cloth and metal. U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,746 to R. J. Rustin discloses a side shield which is composed of an insulated cloth material but is concerned as much with protection of the ears as to serve as an eyeglass side shield. U.S. Pat. No. 893,972 to W. C. Bayless discloses a shield which can be formed of leather, rubber, cloth or other suitable material but is attached directly to the frame and not to the temples of the eyeglasses. A similar approach is taken in U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,075 to M. T. Hinrichs in which the shield can be composed of leather, cloth, vinyl or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,721,490 to J. M. Prince discloses a side shield composed of transparent plastic which is clipped onto the temple region of an eyeglasses earbow. U.S. Pat. No. 2,900,636 to E. P. Lindstrom discloses a somewhat different type of a clip arrangement for a side shield, as also does U.S. Pat. No. 2,840,821 to F. G. Gay, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 1,706,682 to J. Takacs discloses a side shield made up of an oblong disk having an opening and notch to facilitate slipping onto the temples of the eyeglasses. The disk can be composed of various different materials including cardboard or rubber and is of a configuration such that the sides of the disk taper or converge rearwardly away from the front frame of the eyeglasses. Takacs does not suggest laminating different materials together to form the disk.
One side shield for eyeglasses available on the market under the brand name DOCTOR'S EYEWEAR ACCESSORIES includes a shape-retentive member in the form of a sheet metal insert loosely captured in a vinyl envelope such that a user may plastically deform the shield for a custom fit. This shield also includes a central slotted portion to allow removable slip on securement of the shield to the temple region of an eyeglasses earbow. However, this particular shield poses a safety hazard in that the relatively stiff and rigid metal insert might function as a knife in the event of a fall or other accident to severely injure the face and/or eyes of a user. The preformed securement slot and the non-elastic nature of the vinyl envelope make the shield suitable for use with only a narrow range of earbow dimensions. Additionally, the relatively great mass of the metal insert acts to transfer heat from the face of the user to ambient, thus making the shield unsuitable for cold weather use.
The various prior art side shields also pose the potential for marring eyeglasses and for irritating the skin of a wearer, particularly if deformed for the best possible fit, due to the rough and coarse materials used in their construction.
Finally, the prior art side shields present an unattractive appearance, thus discouraging use by fashion conscious individuals.